Major upgrades coming to Hoover Met following record-breaking SEC tournament
Last week's SEC Baseball Tournament broke an all-time attendance record at the Hoover Met Stadium.
About 23 percent more fans showed up than did last year, and the total attendance beat the previous record by nearly 8,500.
Nearby Walk On's restaurant owner Matt Roth said their bottom line was feeling the boost.
鈥淭he last two weeks, we broke every record that we had in Walk On's within stadium trace.
On the heels of such a successful event, $23 million in upgrades are in store for the 37-year-old Hoover Stadium.
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On the outside, the parking will be resurfaced with traffic flow improvements.
On the inside, the city wants to install a concession boardwalk at the top of the bleachers.
鈥淵ou could walk up, and you'd be standing on the field side of the concourse ordering your concessions and waiting on them and receiving them. And you wouldn't have to leave the vantage point of being able to see what's going on, on the field,鈥� Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice said.
Speaking of bleachers: most, if not all, could soon be replaced with individual stadium seats.
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While the parking lot work will happen by the next spring, the other projects might have to wait on feedback from the Southeastern Conference.
鈥淲e certainly want to gear the facility around that signature event every year. And so, we'll be taking their input and hearing their imperatives and their priorities before we set out a construction plan,鈥� Rice said.
Roth looks forward to the improvements and how they can help keep hungry SEC fans coming back year after year.
鈥淚 mean, we were trying to keep up with catering orders, trying to feed the people in here, and by far has been the best two weeks of it since we've been open,鈥� Roth said.
The first pitch of the 2024 tournament is only 357 days away.
Hoover has a deal with the SEC for next year鈥檚 event and an option for 2025.
Extension negotiations are ongoing.
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